This specification relates to electromagnetic communications. Advances in semiconductor manufacturing and circuit design technologies have enabled the development and production of integrated circuits (ICs) with increasingly higher operational frequencies. In turn, electronic products and systems incorporating high frequency integrated circuits are able to provide greater functionality than previous generations of products. The additional functionality has typically included the processing of increasingly larger amounts of data at increasingly higher speeds.
Many conventional electronic systems include multiple printed circuit boards (PCBs) upon which ICs are mounted, and through which various signals are routed to and from the ICs. In electronic systems with at least two PCBs and the need to communicate information between the PCBs, a variety of connector and backplane architectures have been developed to facilitate information flow between PCBs. However, conventional connector and backplane architectures typically introduce a variety of impedance discontinuities into the signal path, resulting in a degradation of signal quality or integrity. Connecting to PCBs by conventional means, e.g., signal-carrying mechanical connectors, generally creates discontinuities, requiring expensive electronics to negotiate. Conventional mechanical connectors may also wear out over time, require precise alignment and manufacturing methods, and are susceptible to mechanical jostling.